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Evaluate and continually improve public technology services with the Edge Benchmarks

Evaluate and continually improve public technology services with the Edge Benchmarks

Submitted by Brenda Hough on 23 January 2013 - 1:07pm

After gathering extensive feedback from the library field and testing beta benchmarks with libraries around the US, the Edge Coalition has completed the Edge Benchmarks Version 1.0. The benchmarks can help library staff understand best practices in public access technology services and determine what steps need to be taken to improve technology that is being provided to the public.

The Benchmarks

The benchmarks are divided into three categories:

Community Value

Engaging the Community and Decision Makers

Organizational Management.

Each category has benchmarks for specific practices. There are a total of eleven benchmarks. Each benchmark includes a set of indicators. These can be used to help a library see, on different levels, where it is doing well and where it could improve.

Assessment Tool

The benchmarks are currently accessible on the Edge Initiative website (printable PDF here). The final benchmark product will be an online assessment, which libraries will be able to complete to receive scores and tools for improvement. The online assessment tool is being developed and we will let you know as soon as it is available.

TechSoup and the Benchmarks

Take a look and let us know what you think! Thank you to everyone who provided feedback! It's a great project with which to be involved.

As part of our role in the project, we are hosting monthly webinars about the benchmark topics. Participate in an upcoming session or listen to an archive!